Friday, January 29, 2010

With the new Mel Gibson movie coming out, it’s good to see the original series that inspired the film. The original BBC series Edge of Darkness has been released on DVD, courtesy of Warner Home Video. While the video quality is not the best, the acting and story behind this series has all the goods that make a great thriller. Any fan of BBC productions would appreciate this collectible set. It’s great for people like me who never got to see the original to watch before seeing the new film. And for anyone that’s already watched the series, it’s a good time to revisit this classic.

Monday, January 25, 2010

More drama in everyone’s favorite ER. In real life, the last place you want to be is in the ER. But on TV, it’s hard to keep your eyes off this gripping series. Already over the 12 season mark, this show has stood the test of time. And on the DVD set for the twelfth season, there’s so much drama inside and outside the hospital. This six-disc set has all the episodes that over 10 million viewers tuned into every week during this season. Impressive! To give you a glimpse, there’s a mother looking for a runaway son, a doctor with a questionable past, a doctor returns from Iraq, and one heads to Darfur. This set is out now courtesy of Warner Home Video and I definitely recommend checking it out.

Thursday, January 21, 2010

With so many good TV shows on these days, it is pretty hard to narrow down the ones that are worth watching. Surprisingly, ABC Family is one network that has a great selection of shows to check out. Two of these, which just recently got released on DVD for the first time, are Make It Or Break It and 10 Things I Hate About You.

Make It Or Break It is about four teenage girls on their way to the Olympics. In this gymnastic drama, there is a lot of rivalry as you see just how far they will go for their dreams. It shows the highs and lows that come with extreme competition among teens, especially girls. The Volume One DVD set gives you a chance to revisit the show again with over 400 minutes of running time. Features on the DVD include a behind the scenes look at the show, extended episode, deleted scenes, and a lot more to keep fans of the show busy for quite a while.

Featurette: Stunt Doubles

What are you afraid of?

Next is the series 10 Things I Hate About You, which is based on (you got it!) the hit movie starring Heath Ledger. While the show has some significant differences from the film, as a show it is one of ABC Family’s best. It’s witty, funny, and the cast holds up the show really well. This Volume One DVD set is definitely worth checking out if you want to see teenage comedy done right. Along with the episodes, the set contains lots of additional features such as audio commentaries, bloopers, and much more. Even if it didn’t have all the extra features, I still would recommend it for all the laughs and clever stories in each episode. Check it out!

Friday, January 08, 2010

Wow, I can't believe it's been TEN years since 10 Things I Hate About You came out. Not only was this Heath Ledger's American screen debut, but it is one of the BEST teen comedies ever made. Witty dialogue, a solid cast, and one of the funniest paranoid dads you'll ever see make this one a hit. I forgot how good this film was, until I recently checked it out on the Blu-ray version. On this 10th Anniversary Edition of the film, the film gets an updated look on Blu-ray AND you get to see some great never-before-seen footage on the special features. The feature 10 Things I Love About 10 Things I Hate About You 10 Years Later takes a trip down memory lane with an inside look at the screen tests done for the talented cast of this film. With a running a little over an hour, this feature also includes lots of one-on-one interviews with the cast and crew. So if you enjoyed this film as much as I did, do yourself a favor and check it out.

Wednesday, January 06, 2010

I don't remember watching this show in my younger years, but after checking out Ruby-Spears Superman on DVD, I am now a fan. I'm glad WHV decided to release this on DVD, because it really is a great animated series. The colors are nice and bright, and on the 2-disc DVD set there are 13 very entertaining episodes to really enjoy. The dialogue is a little cheesy at times, but overall the show is enjoyable. I definitely recommend checking it out.

Monday, January 04, 2010

Leave it up to Mike Judge to poke fun at the typical American workplace...

What happens when you take director Mike Judge and throw in Jason Bateman, Kristin Wiig, Ben Affleck, Mila Kunis, and Gene Simmons from KISS? You get EXTRACT, the latest comedy from Judge out now on DVD and Blu-ray. Followers of Mike Judge will remember him mostly for his cult classic Office Space. It’s been a while since he put out something like that. Now, we finally get to see EXTRACT. While this film is no Office Space, it does have all the elements of a great Mike Judge comedy. The stereotypical characters in the workplace are dead on, as anyone who has been a part of drama in the office can relate to the shenanigans that go on here. Jason Bateman does a great job playing the owner of a flavor extract factory and having to deal with all the strange daily happenings within his company. Not only that, but he has some sexual frustrations with his wife, played by Kristin Wiig. Surprisingly, Ben Affleck pulls off a memorable role as the annoying “friend” to Bateman’s character, who causes more trouble than you can think of. I checked out the Blu-ray and if you are looking to see this film, definitely get the Blu-ray version. Not only is the video quality 10 times better, but you also get some extended scenes AND an exclusive deleted scene not shown in the theaters. Overall, I recommend this movie because of its ability to highlight the eccentricity of life in a typical American company.